Pumicestone Channel, also known as the Pumicestone Passage, is a narrow waterway between

Bribie Island Bribie Island is the smallest and most northerly of three major sand islands forming the coastline sheltering the northern part of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. The others are Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island. Bribie Island is ...

and the mainland in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. The northern extent of the passage is at

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is accessible from Landsborough ra ...

, while at the south is Deception Bay. The waterway is a two way tidal

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

that has 11 creeks flowing into it. At each end of the passage the channels are the deepest and widest. During periods of unusually high tides and large waves, the passage is infiltrated by inflows through channels in dunes at the northern tip of Bribie Island.

History

The channel was originally shown as Pumice-stone River on the maps of

Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...

as he found an abundance of

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

stone lining the shoreline. He was the first European explorer to enter

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

in 1799 on the Sloop H. M. 'Norfolk' and spent two weeks exploring the bay and surrounds and naming Point Skirmish and Pumice-stone River.

Environment

Gazetted in 1986, Pumicestone Passage Marine Park (now part of the

Moreton Bay Marine Park The Moreton Bay Marine Park was established in 1992 to protect ecologically significant habitats in Moreton Bay. The marine park extends from Caloundra south to the southern tip of South Stradbroke Island. The marine park's border extends up to t ...

), extends from the southern entrance at the towns of Bribie Island and Sandstone Point, north to the Caloundra bar. It is just over 35 kilometres long and has a surface area of 63 km². The town of Bribie Island comprises suburbs of Bongaree, Woorim, Bellara, Banksia Beach and White Patch. Bribie Island is reached by a Bridge of 800m length over the Pumicestone Passage.The marine park has 24 islands and is bounded by 240 kilometres of shoreline. Eighty percent of the channel is less than two metres deep and

dugongs The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...

frequent its waters seasonally to feed on the seagrass on the bottom of the channel.

Dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

s and

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

s also make the channel home as do over 350 species of birds. Habitats within and adjoining the channel include mangroves and saltmarshes, sand flats and mud flats, coastal dunes and

seagrass meadow A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and ...

s. The channel forms part of the Moreton Bay and Pumicestone Passage

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

, so identified by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

because it supports large numbers of migratory

wader 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

s, or shorebirds.

References

{{Authority control Important Bird Areas of Queensland Channels of Australia Moreton Bay

History

Environment

See also

References